Richard Felber
To grow vegetables in containers, look for varieties with words like bush, baby, dwarf, tiny, midget, and patio in their names. They are bred to be compact.
Before heading to the nursery, study the area you’ve picked for your container garden―is it sunny? shady?―and then find plants that will flourish in those conditions.
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Terra-cotta pots are ideal for container plants because their porous walls let air and water move easily through, so roots grow healthily.
An assortment of herbs can be planted in one pot, so long as their care requirements are compatible.
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Create a “centerpiece” for your porch by grouping varieties of the same species planted in similar pots.
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Mounted plants cheer up a bare wall. Hang an even number for a formal look, an odd number for a more relaxed feel.
For an especially easy hanging garden, try mini petunias: They never need deadheading, and they thrive in sun or a mix of sun and shade.
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During the winter, you can force bulbs to bloom indoors (like the Christmas Pearl grape hyacinths shown here), then replant outside come spring.
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Pungently fragrant paperwhite narcissus are easy to coax into bloom indoors. Use tall containers with no drainage holes.
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A humidity-loving tropical houseplant, such as a maidenhair fern or a flame violet, will thrive in a bell-jar terrarium.
Planted in a ceramic pitcher (drilled to add drainage holes), purple shamrock makes the tiniest indoor container garden.
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